iGaming Business magazine iGB 111 July/Aug | Page 106

People
Q&A: Lee Richardson
As the industry revels in the glow
of the PASPA repeal and an exciting
World Cup in Russia, iGB caught up
with Lee Richardson to discover more
about his Totally Gaming Academy
sports betting masterclass
iGaming Business: As a veteran of the sports betting industry
what made you decide to move into the training side for TGA?
Lee Richardson: I’ve been closely involved in the sports betting
sector, both retail and non-retail, for almost 20 years – and an
occasional sports betting consumer for a lot longer! So, when
I was approached by TGA to develop a new Sports Betting
Management module, I was happy to help. Having now delivered
programmes in Europe, Africa and America, there’s clear demand
for such training and development within this fast-developing and
ultra-competitive sector.
What gap in the sports management industry is this course
designed to fill?
Feedback over the past 18 months tells us the course is proving of
value to a wide range of audiences. Investors and start-ups, through
to developing and established sports betting brands and operators
from a wide variety of geographical markets, have all found it useful.
We’ve also seen existing and prospective regulators attend to learn
about the sector.
With such a profile of delegates attending from within Europe,
Latin America, North America and Africa, it seems clear that it’s
filling a specific need. Many of these regions are currently regulating
or opening for legal sports betting, with all the challenges that entails
for new market entrants and established operators alike.
The course works around the principle of the six Ps:
perspective, product, profit, promotion, planning and people;
how does this theory feed into the course?
The 6Ps structure helps to dig into areas that need streamlining
or improvement, plus it helps people identify new opportunities
and share individual experiences.
For example, under planning, we examine the tools and
techniques available within business intelligence (BI), an area where
smaller operators can compete very effectively with larger rivals.
You might be outspent in marketing dollars, but BI can help you
spend those dollars more effectively than others if you are smarter
at analysing your data and thus able to make better-informed
marketing decisions.
We also examine, in some detail, the current trends in product and
its development, and what operators should be expecting from their
suppliers. Helping operators decide on what to focus on themselves,
and what should be delegated to outside suppliers, is a critical
component within that.
Sports betting is often accused of not innovating enough.
What are the barriers to innovation in sports betting?
I think it’s fair to say that we’ve had, to date, a moderate level
of innovation within our industry – whether on bets, markets
or related categories.
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iGamingBusiness | Issue 111 | July/August 2018